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Steve Alexander

The Daily Dose

A Painful Monday

Monday was a rough day for yours truly, and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t alone given the list of surprise DNPs that broke before the games started, and then the list of All-Stars who went down during the games. It reminded me of a Modest Mouse album title; 'Good News For People Who Love Bad News.'

But first, I’ve got to lead with Jeremy Lin, who is the new starting point guard for the Knicks. He went off for a career-high 28 points and eight assists, and led the Knicks to a win over the Jazz with a team-high 45 minutes played. He should be owned in all leagues at this point, especially since Baron Davis suffered a setback. It’s possible Davis doesn’t play a game this season, so dump him for Lin (or anyone else) if you can. ‘Linsanity’ also had 25 points and seven dimes on Saturday, which was the night to move on him in most leagues.

Billups Could Be Done

Chauncey Billups went down with a left Achilles injury and all signs are that it’s a serious one. We’re still waiting for an official report from the team, but it’s pretty rare that rumors about an injury turn out to be false, and everything we’ve heard is that it’s a severe injury, which could mean he ruptured it. And if that’s the case, he’s done for the season and could even have trouble resuming his career. Hopefully it’s just a strain, but Randy Foye will likely take over his starting job, and Mo Williams will likely see the biggest boost in value if Billups is done.

Rose Day-to-Day

Derrick Rose left last night’s game with back spasms and is day-to-day after playing just 11 minutes. C.J. Watson had 14 points and 11 assists, but will only be worth owning if Rose is going to miss time. And as of now, he’s a game-time decision for Wednesday at New Orleans.

Melo’s Groin Injury A Concern

Carmelo Anthony left after just six minutes with a strained right groin, which is pretty scary. Groin injuries, if serious at all, usually result in at least a couple missed games, while he could be out for a couple weeks or more. We really don’t know any more at this point, and will have to wait to find out the severity of the injury. Bill Walker had 11 points and five rebounds in his stead, while Steve Novak got hot for 19 points and five 3-pointers in just 17 minutes. Walker would be the pickup if Melo is going to miss a lot of time, but is probably not capable of putting up Melo-like numbers.

Gallinari Gone

Danilo Gallinari suffered a “chip fracture” in his left foot/ankle and the replays on television were brutal to watch. I don’t mean to raise the alarm flag irresponsibly, but as Reggie Miller once said, this one looks like a “monther,” as in he could miss a month with the injury. We should know more on Tuesday. Rudy Fernandez had 14 points and could replace Gallo in the starting lineup, while Al Harrington is a must-own player in all leagues. He’s been playing well for most of the season and had 12 points and 15 boards last night.

Amare Loses His Brother

Amare Stoudemire’s brother, Hazell, tragically passed away in a car accident on Monday morning and Amare has taken a leave from the Knicks, missing last night’s game. And given funeral arrangements and the gravity of the situation, he could miss more games, including Wednesday at Washington. Jared Jeffries started in his place and had 13 points and eight boards, but isn’t exactly trustworthy.

Nene was out on Monday with his lingering heel injury, which is becoming quite concerning. He’s day-to-day, while Kenneth Faried had six points and eight boards in the start. Chris Andersen had 10 points and nine boards, and Al Harrington added 12 points and 15 boards. Nene’s heel has been an issue for most of the season and owners have to hope a shutdown of some sort isn’t on the horizon.

Monday was a rough day for yours truly, and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t alone given the list of surprise DNPs that broke before the games started, and then the list of All-Stars who went down during the games. It reminded me of a Modest Mouse album title; 'Good News For People Who Love Bad News.'

But first, I’ve got to lead with Jeremy Lin, who is the new starting point guard for the Knicks. He went off for a career-high 28 points and eight assists, and led the Knicks to a win over the Jazz with a team-high 45 minutes played. He should be owned in all leagues at this point, especially since Baron Davis suffered a setback. It’s possible Davis doesn’t play a game this season, so dump him for Lin (or anyone else) if you can. ‘Linsanity’ also had 25 points and seven dimes on Saturday, which was the night to move on him in most leagues.

Billups Could Be Done

Chauncey Billups went down with a left Achilles injury and all signs are that it’s a serious one. We’re still waiting for an official report from the team, but it’s pretty rare that rumors about an injury turn out to be false, and everything we’ve heard is that it’s a severe injury, which could mean he ruptured it. And if that’s the case, he’s done for the season and could even have trouble resuming his career. Hopefully it’s just a strain, but Randy Foye will likely take over his starting job, and Mo Williams will likely see the biggest boost in value if Billups is done.

Rose Day-to-Day

Derrick Rose left last night’s game with back spasms and is day-to-day after playing just 11 minutes. C.J. Watson had 14 points and 11 assists, but will only be worth owning if Rose is going to miss time. And as of now, he’s a game-time decision for Wednesday at New Orleans.

Melo’s Groin Injury A Concern

Carmelo Anthony left after just six minutes with a strained right groin, which is pretty scary. Groin injuries, if serious at all, usually result in at least a couple missed games, while he could be out for a couple weeks or more. We really don’t know any more at this point, and will have to wait to find out the severity of the injury. Bill Walker had 11 points and five rebounds in his stead, while Steve Novak got hot for 19 points and five 3-pointers in just 17 minutes. Walker would be the pickup if Melo is going to miss a lot of time, but is probably not capable of putting up Melo-like numbers.

Gallinari Gone

Danilo Gallinari suffered a “chip fracture” in his left foot/ankle and the replays on television were brutal to watch. I don’t mean to raise the alarm flag irresponsibly, but as Reggie Miller once said, this one looks like a “monther,” as in he could miss a month with the injury. We should know more on Tuesday. Rudy Fernandez had 14 points and could replace Gallo in the starting lineup, while Al Harrington is a must-own player in all leagues. He’s been playing well for most of the season and had 12 points and 15 boards last night.

Amare Loses His Brother

Amare Stoudemire’s brother, Hazell, tragically passed away in a car accident on Monday morning and Amare has taken a leave from the Knicks, missing last night’s game. And given funeral arrangements and the gravity of the situation, he could miss more games, including Wednesday at Washington. Jared Jeffries started in his place and had 13 points and eight boards, but isn’t exactly trustworthy.

Nene was out on Monday with his lingering heel injury, which is becoming quite concerning. He’s day-to-day, while Kenneth Faried had six points and eight boards in the start. Chris Andersen had 10 points and nine boards, and Al Harrington added 12 points and 15 boards. Nene’s heel has been an issue for most of the season and owners have to hope a shutdown of some sort isn’t on the horizon.

The Rest of the Injury Report

Arron Afflalo was out for the Nuggets with ankle and toe injuries, as Julyan Stone started, hitting 1-of-5 shots for two points. Rudy Fernandez scored 14 and is the pickup if Afflalo is going to miss time. Timofey Mozgov was out again with his ankle injury and Kosta Koufos is starting in his place. Koufos was big in his previous game, but had just seven points, three rebounds and a block on Monday.

Anthony Morrow was out due to his grandmother’s funeral, but could be back on Wednesday. Keith Bogans started in his place, but had just seven points, while Jordan Farmar had 11 points and five dimes.

Raymond Felton was out with a foot injury and Jamal Crawford had 17 points and five dimes in the start at PG for Portland. Felton is day-to-day.

Tony Allen missed Monday with a hip/knee injury and Quincy Pondexter started in his place for the Grizzlies, but failed to score. O.J. Mayo played 28 minutes but hit just 3-of-15 shots for nine points, and is the guy to grab if Allen will miss more time.

Jarrett Jack was out again for New Orleans with his sore knee and remains day-to-day. Greivis Vasquez had another nice game with 20 points and nine assists, while Marco Belinelli finally played well, going for 18 points, four assists and two 3-pointers. Vasquez should be owned in all leagues, while I don’t really trust Belinelli after his rough start to the season. But another nice game could change my mind.

Carl Landry (knee) and Jason Smith (concussion) were out, allowing Gustavo Ayon to start at power forward. He had just four points, nine boards and two blocks, but is worth a look if he continues to start. Meanwhile, Chris Kaman returned to action after being pulled off the trading block and had 10 points, 12 boards and a couple blocks. I’d pick up Kaman over Ayon if you’re looking at the duo.

Elton Brand was out with a thumb injury and Lavoy Allen started in his place for the Sixers, but had just four points and four rebounds. Brand is hoping to return on Wednesday.

Jason Kidd (calf) is targeting a Wednesday return for Dallas, while Roddy Beaubois was struggling in Kidd’s absence recently.

Jameer Nelson returned from a concussion for one of his best games of the season with 15 points and 12 assists. Maybe he’s finally ready to start playing well for Orlando, but I need to see him do it a couple more times before being convinced anything has changed.

Jared Dudley was back after a one-game absence and scored 10 points in a start for Phoenix, and can be reinserted into fantasy lineups.

Manu Ginobili (hand) could return within a week for the Spurs, so it’s time to grab him if he’s somehow still sitting out there in your league.

Other Noteworthy Performances

Hot

DeMarcus Cousins stayed hot with 28 points and 19 rebounds for the Kings, and has racked up 15 or more boards six times this season, and has hit 19 or more four times.

Blazer LaMarcus Aldridge blew up for a season-high 39 points to go along with six rebounds and a block, as his big season rolls on. Marcus Camby had 15 more rebounds and is a nice starting option right now.

Raptors Jerryd Bayless and Linas Kleiza each scored 30 points on Monday, as Bayless hit six 3-pointers and Kleiza knocked down four of them. Bayless had just three points on Friday, causing me to stupidly cut him, while Kleiza has scored 15, 17 and 30 points in his last three games, knocking down nine threes over that stretch. The Raptors are a rotational mess, but both of these guys are hot enough to be owned in most leagues.

Trevor Booker started again for Andray Blatche and got hot, hitting 7-of-10 shots for 19 points, four rebounds, three steals and three blocks for the Wizards. He won’t do this every night, but is at least worth a look.

Andrew Bynum went off for 20 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks for the second 20-20 game of his career. Kobe Bryant had 24 points and passed Shaquille O’Neal for No. 5 on the all-time NBA scoring list.

Samuel Dalembert played just seven minutes for the Rockets, as Kevin McHale continues to limit his minutes as the slump continues. He’s scored seven or less in six straight games and hit rock bottom last night. He’ll likely get it turned around at some point, but should be on fantasy benches for now. It would be nice to hear McHale’s reasoning for turning on Sammy D, but we haven’t heard anything yet.

Hedo Turkoglu, who is dealing with a sore knee, played 25 minutes for Orlando on Monday, but missed all six of his shots and failed to score. Fail being the key word. Hopefully his knee is OK and this is just a slump. Jason Richardson stayed hot with 20 points, and should be added in most leagues after scoring between 17 and 20 points in his last three games.

Devin Harris had nine points and four assists for the Jazz, while Earl Watson failed to score or dime in 11 minutes. Watson had eight points and 11 assists on Saturday, but will continue to be inconsistent coming off the bench behind Harris, who is not exactly a model of consistency himself.

Jason Thompson, who came in hot, played just 17 minutes, finishing with four points, two rebounds and four fouls. Hopefully it was the foul trouble that limited him, although Chuck Hayes played through his banged up shoulder and had two points, five rebounds and six assists in 25 minutes. I picked JT up and put him in a couple lineups this week after he went off for 15 points and 16 boards on Saturday, but am already regretting that decision.

Houston’s Kevin Martin hit just 1-of-9 shots for eight points and is now 2-of-19 over his last two games with a total of 10 points. It’s a slump and he will bounce back, hopefully against the Blazers on Wednesday.

I’m sure I left off some Hot and Not players you care about, but I’m trying to keep this column at a length that will fit in the email version, which I failed to do on Monday. Good luck wading through all these injuries, as it’s become clear the lockout is not serving anyone well right now on the injury front. Tuesday will be a busy news day, so be sure to hit that refresh button throughout the day as you follow along with the fates of Billups, Melo, Rose, Gallinari, Amare and the rest of the injured fantasy studs who will be getting their street clothes wardrobes in order soon.

Steve "Dr. A" Alexander is the senior editor for the NBA for Rotoworld.com and a contributor to NBCSports.com. The 2014-15 NBA season marks his 13th year of covering fantasy hoops for Rotoworld. Follow him on Twitter - @Docktora.Email :Steve Alexander